(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to contact lens cases and, more particularly, to contact lens cases having asymmetric properties for facilitating proper orientation of the case for accurate lens removal and insertion. Furthermore, the cases are manufactured in a variety of colors and designs, allowing the wearer to customize the cases in order to readily distinguish between different cases and, consequently, between different pairs of lenses.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Contact lens cases are ubiquitous in modern society and many improvements have been made since their first invention.
Generally in the relevant art, the contact lens cases were marked in a manner that would allow the wearer to distinguish the left lens from the right lens because of the possibility that the wearer might need different lenses for each eye. Alternately, persons may not have different prescriptions for each eye, but may simply have a desire to keep the left and right lenses separated. Usually, the individual wells holding the lenses were marked with a visual marking of an L (for left) and an R (for right). Other symbols were doubtlessly also used, depending in part on the language and alphabet of the region in which the case would be used. The letters or symbols may also have been printed in relief to provide the contact lens case user with some indication of left and right sides of the case. No known improvements have been made on this convention.
Although these case characteristics allowed most wearers to easily distinguish the case wells under normal circumstances, wearers with severely impaired vision or wearers in areas of bad lighting may have found the task difficult. Wearers of contact lenses having poor touch or tactile sensitivity would be particularly disadvantaged in such a situation and would doubtlessly have to determine the proper lens for a particular eye by trial and error-insertion of a lens into an eye to determine if it properly corrects that eye""s vision. Inserting and removing contact lenses can be a difficult task even under favorable conditions, and often lenses are dropped.
Contact lenses are small and transparent by design; these are properties that make them difficult to find when dropped. Dropping lenses under difficult circumstances can therefore lead to the loss of a lens. Furthermore, the advent and popularity of colored and/or designed or decorated lenses for cosmetic apparent alteration of eye color also requires quick recognition of the type of lens included within a given case for holding contact lenses. Insertion of the wrong lens type or style into the incorrect eye necessitates removal and reinsertion of the lens into the correct eye. These factors increase the chance of dropping and losing a lens. Again, dropping a lens often results in the loss of or damage to the lens.
In addition to these problems, persons with only minor vision differences between eyes may not be able to readily determine if the lenses are inserted into the proper eye. Also, some persons require different vision-correction power for each eye. In such circumstances, the person, upon arrival in better lighting conditions or after a period of time has passed since insertion, may notice the slight aberration of their vision. This annoyance may necessitate removal and reinsertion of the lenses into the correct eyes. Having to stop unexpectedly to exchange lenses between eyes may increase the possibility of contamination or damage to the lens or eye because the wearer may be in a hurry at the moment. In addition, stopping one""s activity to correct this mistake is a definite annoyance and may even be a source of embarrassment if one has to explain to bystanders the motive for exchanging the lenses between eyes.
Traditionally, prior art has consistently used symmetrical cases to house or contain contact lenses. A few ornamental exceptions exist without any functional benefit being derived from the ornamental shape. Furthermore, complex ornamental designs of contact lens cases as in prior art compromise the structural integrity and fitness of use of the contact lens cases under normal, daily use. The shapes were purely decorative and the ornamentation often resulted in a structurally weak case with less-than-desirable compensatory characteristics, such as flip-top lids. In others, the non-symmetry was slight and difficult to distinguish visually or tactilely. As stated, these cases were typically structurally weak and easily broken. Thus, there remains a need for a durable case that will allow the contact lens wearer to easily distinguish the orientation of the case and easily remove and replace lenses into the case.
Additionally, the shapes, colors, and designs of contact lenses have recently expanded greatly due to advances in lens manufacturing technology and a demand by users for more creative and expressive lenses. This growth in the variety of lenses available has created a greater need for contact lens users to more easily distinguish lens pairs. This need can be satisfied by modification of case properties, including using different case colors, using customized well lids, and/or using transparent well lids, to make the cases or lens pairs readily distinguishable.
Therefore, a need exists to improve on the current art by allowing the wearer to more easily distinguish the left and right wells by incorporating more advanced physical, optical, and tactile qualities into the design, shape, and structure of the case.
The present invention provides a contact lens case for allowing the wearer to more easily distinguish the left and right wells by incorporating more advanced physical, optical, and tactile qualities into the design, shape, and structure of the case. As such, it is within the scope of the present invention is to provide contact lens cases having structural characteristics that improve the durability of the case and/or facilitate the handling of the case and/or lens. Also, it is within the scope of the invention to incorporate structural characteristics that make individual cases readily distinguishable or that allow the ready incorporation into the case of different ornamental designs such that individual cases can be made to be readily distinguishable or easily customizable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact lens case that allows the user to distinguish the left and right wells of the case for quickly identifying which well from which to remove or to insert the respective and corresponding contact lens. Thus, one aspect of the present invention includes incorporating several physical, tactile, and/or optical asymmetries along one or both horizontal axes of the case.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a contact lens case having improved structural stability for durability in daily use over time. As such, one aspect of the present invention is to provide a contact lens case that incorporates structural improvements that allow the wearer to more easily retrieve and/or replace the lenses from/in the case without damage or breakage to the case.
A final scope of the invention is to make individual cases customizable and/or readily distinguishable. To this end, the cases are designed such that structural characteristics are incorporated that will allow the ready incorporation into the case of different ornamental designs or characteristics such that individual cases can be made to be readily distinguishable or easily customizable.